Atlanta Food Waste Heroes: the journey continues ...

In 2012, the National Resources Defense Council Issue Paper Wasted: How America is Losing Up to 40 Percent of Its Food form Farm to Fork to Landfill authored by Dana Gunders launched awareness of the global food waste crisis. The paper revealed the rampant wasteful practices throughout the entire food system: from farms to distribution centers to grocery stores | purveyors to restaurants | foodservice operators to consumers.

The ZWA Blog's most popular article Reduce First, Donate Second, Compost Third (over 11.5K views) introduces the food crisis via Jonathan Bloom's ground-breaking 2010 book, American Wasteland - How America Throws Away Nearly Half of It's Food (and what we can do about it). In addition, the article addresses the three primary avenues to reduce food waste: 
1> prevent waste by reduced purchases, careful food preparation and monitoring food spoilage timelines.
2> gift excess food to individuals | organizations who ensure food is consumed.
3> collect food waste for compost, food for the soil's microbial community.

Atlanta's food waste heroes were recognized in Elizabeth Royt's Spoil Alert, a feature article in Martha Stewart's Whole Living November 2012 issue. Elizabeth traveled to Atlanta for a whirlwind two-day interview marathon hosted by Elemental Impact (Ei) founder Holly Elmore. One of the featured food waste crusaders was Myron Smith of Second Helpings, who met Elizabeth at a local farmers market. Elizabeth refers to Myron as "the palest and gentlest vulture you've ever seen. Smith has his eye on bunches of collards and zucchini that might not sell by the market's closing, in 15 minutes."

Myron & Elizabeth with
Second Helpings' truck

The ZWA Blog post, Atlanta Wasted Food Heroes in National Spotlight, is an overview of the Spoil Alert article along with commentary applauding Atlanta's heroes.

Ei, a national non-profit with Atlanta home offices, received national accolades with the 2009 Zero Waste Zones (ZWZ) launch including a prime-time aired CNN story and a front-page New York Times article. One of the ZWZ program criteria was food waste must first be donated in accordance with the Good Samaritan Food Donation Act. Food not meeting donation standards must be collected for compost. 

The Ei ZWZ program was the national forerunner for the commercial collection of food waste for compost. In 2012 the ZWZ program was sold to the National Restaurant Association with plans for national expansion.

Ei works with industry pioneers to craft evolved industry operating practices that benefit the company, the community and the environment. The following is a common Ei intro phrase:

Ei is a creator, an incubator.

Ei determines what could be done that is not being done and gets it done.

Ei brings the possible out of impossible.

Ei identifies pioneers and creates heroes.

The ZWZ program epitomized successful completion of the above phrase.

On June 15, 2015, Les Dames d’Escoffier International, Atlanta Chapter (LEDI | ATL) accepted the invitation to serve as the Sustainable Food Court Initiative (SFCI) - Event Pilot  and joined the ranks of Atlanta Food Waste Heroes. Though the Pilot is for the organization as a whole, the first two action points are to craft zero food waste practices for two of their premier events: Afternoon in the Country (AITC) and Culinary Futures.

LDEI is a worldwide society of women dedicated to creating a culture in the community that fosters excellence and promotes the achievement of women in culinary professions through educational and charitable activities. The LDEI | ATL membership boasts nearly 100 prominent women in career paths ranging from professional chefs, restaurateurs, caterers, farmers, food retailers, event planners, cookbook authors, food journalists and historians, winemakers and wine industry professionals, food publicists, and culinary educators to hospitality executives.

Known as one of Atlanta’s most unforgettable food and wine tasting events, AITC is a fund-raiser for local non-profits and scholarships for women in the culinary profession. The November 8, 2015 AITC is the 15th Anniversary event, perfect timing to embark on formal zero food waste practices.

Hosted by the Inn at Serenbe within the Serenbe Community, the AITC is held in an idyllic setting where nature, passion, creativity and community are valued. With over 1800 guests tasting delicious food samples served by nearly 40 prominent restaurants, hotels and caterers, there is a significant amount of food waste generated at the event. In the past, food waste was landfill-destined.

Doug & the ladies @ initial meeting

The ZWA Blog article, Afternoon in the Country embarks on zero food waste journey, announces the SFCI Pilot status and establishes the action plan categories: Food & Beverage (F&B) Serviceware, Food Waste Collection, and Food Waste Destination. Within the article intro is the SFCI background and challenges inherent within post-consumer food waste collection in food courts | events.

Working closely with the SFCI Co-Chair Doug Kunnemann of Natureworks & SMAT - Sustainable Material ACTION Team, LDEI | ATL is committed to creating zero food waste practices for the 2015 AITC. Since the June announcement, the following action steps were taken or are in-process within the designated categories:

F&B Serviceware:

• Compostable packaging – all single-use F&B serviceware must be BPI Certified compostable; an exception is pre-packaged beverages in recyclable containers, such as bottled water. 
• Education – event foodservice providers must be educated on the WHY, WHAT & HOW to serve F&B in compostable packaging; includes support with purchasing unique serving items.
• On-site Monitoring – volunteers visit foodservice operators upon arrival at event to observe any F&B serving or other items provided by the establishment that may contaminate the food waste stream.

ACTION:

Compostable F&B Edu Session

• Ei Partner Eco-Products is an AITC Sponsor providing BPI Certified plates & cutlery; beverage service is in AITC wine glasses & sponsored water in recyclable bottles. AITC will require the local brewery to use BPI Certified beer cups.
• Ei Partner NaturBag is an AITC Sponsor providing BPI Certified compostable bags for food waste collection for compost.
• On August 20, the SMAT hosted a two-hour Compostable F&B Packaging Education Session for the AITC Sustainability Task Force; the session was a modification of the April Georgia World Congress Center-requested education seminar for Levy Restaurants. The ZWA Blog article, Compostable F&B Packaging: integral to zero waste programs and soil rebuilding, gives an in-depth overview of the session.
• Event Producer ideaLand will educate F&B providers on the new packaging protocol prior to AITC: LDEI will follow-up with their endorsement of | enthusiasm for the zero food waste journey including exclusive use of compostable packaging.
• The SMAT Team, supported by the AITC Sustainability Task Force, will greet foodservice and beverage operators upon arrival to ensure the compostable packaging protocol is followed.

Food Waste Collection:

• Waste | recycling bins – for the first year a three-tier bin is used: 1> Food Waste, 2> Recycling, 3> Landfill; at future events the system evolves into a two-tier system: 1> Food Waste, 2> Recycling.
• Clear signage – the bins must be supported by clear signage designating proper disposal; visuals are most helpful.
• Monitor attendee disposal – volunteers assist attendees with disposal of items into proper bins to prevent contamination.

ACTION:

Inn @ Serenbe, AITC host

• AITC Sponsor Figi Water provides 20 recycling bins for their plastic bottles as well as any other plastic or aluminum bottles; Another sponsor is considering a food waste collection bin sponsorship. Discussions are in-progress with Ei Partner Glasdon USA to potentially provide the food waste bins. The 2015 fallback plan is to use the recyclable | compostable cardboard bins if an immediate reusable solution is not feasible.
• Once the bins are determined, ideaLand will craft appropriate signage with guidance from the SMAT members.
• ideaLand is in discussions with Georgia Organics to provide "Waste Ambassadors" who assist event attendees sort their waste into the designated bins and prevent contamination. The Georgia Organic volunteers will also aid in the contamination cleansing prior to mixing the food waste compost recipe.

Food Waste Destination:

• Donation – ensure a plan is in-place for donation of leftover food in accordance with the Good Samaritan Food Donation Act.
• Compost – deliver remaining food waste, back & front-of-the-house, to a composting site operating within state food waste permit regulations.
• Animal feed – when compostable packaging is mixed with food waste it is not fit for animal consumption; food waste generated under the same roof as meat is often not permitted for animal feed pursuant to respective State Department of Agriculture regulations due to past disease outbreaks.

ACTION:

• Discussions are underway with Second Helpings to provide a turnkey donation program, including attendee education, for unserved food as the event closes.
• Ei is responsible for orchestrating on-farm composting operations:



Serenbe site visit
group photo 

• obtained a Letter of Interpretation from the Georgia Environmental Protection Division stating the AITC food waste falls into Category I of the permit regulations; thus, a formal permit is not required within the regulations.
• visited Serenbe with Ei Supporter Boyd Leake of Community Environmental Management (CEM) to assess the current Serenbe composting practices and the feasibility of on-farm composting.
• contracted with Ei Supporter Let Us Compost (LUC) to oversee preparation of the food waste compost recipe, including contamination cleansing. LUC will bring a dump truck filled with wood chips to use if necessary in the compost recipe.
• FALLBACK - if for an unforeseen reason on-farm compost does not work, LUC will haul the food waste to the Athens-Clarke County permitted food waste compost site.
• Animal feed is not an option for the AITC food waste.

Going back to basics, AITC is focused on REDUCING food waste generated at their prominent event. ideaLand is committed to finding the balance between "running out of food" and minimizing leftover food. Reminders to adhere to the 2 ounce portion size are set to send to participating chefs a few weeks prior to the event. 

AITC event site 

Post-event Ei, CEM and LUC will visit Serenbe to ensure the compost recipe produced excellent nutrition for the farm's soil. In addition, Ei will work with Serenbe on food waste for compost practices for their many smaller catered events throughout the year. LUC is available for food waste compost consulting on an as requested basis.

The key ZWZ phrase, Collaboration is Key to Success, remains true with the AITC zero food waste journey. SMAT members share their Industry zero food waste expertise gained working with closed event venues, such as Safeco Field in Seattle and the Rose Quarter in Portland, and modify as appropriate for an annual event. As with the ZWZ, the U.S Environmental Protection Agency Region 4, joins the support team to share their experiences and assist with development of a replicable template for annual events | festivals.

In addition, the City of Atlanta Office of Sustainability supports the pilot and is eager to understand implications for Atlanta events. LUC is crafting a turnkey food waste collection for compost program targeted for events | festivals in the Atlanta metro area. Since F&B packaging is necessary to create a clean food waste stream, Ei will develop a Compostable F&B Information Packet for event | festival producers to share with their food providers.

It takes pioneers like LDEI to dive deep and change standard industry operating practices. Often the solutions are simple yet perseverance and tenacity are required for the "trial and error" necessary to discover the easiest, most effective solutions. The biggest challenge is CHANGE! ... and change implemented at an annual event, during "showtime."

Thank you Les Dames d’Escoffier International, Atlanta Chapter and ideaLand for joining Atlanta's Waste Food Heroes as the food waste journey continues into next dimensions. Your contributions are tremendous with far-reaching impact well beyond Atlanta.

Charlotte: A Land of Opportunities

A proactive city, Charlotte stands strong as a sustainability leader, especially in waste reduction. As Mecklenburg County Government (MCG) environmental manager, waste reduction, Laurette Hall is at the helm of Charlotte recycling successes; Laurette is a visionary who quietly, effectively implements her recycling plan for the county while forging lasting relationships.

CMS food waste collection for
compost effective system

The City of Charlotte is within Mecklenburg County; the city and county work closely together on community services, including materials management. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) - 164 schools and 145,000 enrolled students - is a prime example of the city and county working in unison for citizen benefit.

Dating back to 2011, Elemental Impact developed strong Charlotte relationships. Jake Wilson, MCG senior environmental manager, was named the February 2011 IMPACTOR of the month and honored in The IMPACT Blog article, A Man of Controversy, A Man of Action.

Concord Mills, a Simon mall in metro Charlotte, serves as the Sustainable Food Court Initiative (SFCI) Shopping Mall Pilot and was the catalyst for Elemental Impact's work in the Charlotte area. Ei Partner HMSHost, Concord Mills food court concessionaire and the Charlotte Douglas International Airport foodservice operator, was integral to Ei's solid sustainability foundation in Charlotte.

one of the first CM donation collections
photo courtesy of HMSHost

Beginning in 2011, the SFCI Team worked closely with HMSHost and Simon on creating back-of-the-house (BOH) food waste collection for compost, food donation and plastic film recycling programs at Concord Mills. The ZWA Blog article, ACTION: Theme for the SFCI Shopping Mall Pilot, is an overview of the programs.

When Charlotte hosted the 2012 Democratic National Convention, the city | county used the convention as an opportunity to expand existing recycling practices for the metro area. Facilities such as the Charlotte Convention Center (CCC) and the Carolina Panthers Stadium implemented food waste collection for compost as the city prepared for the convention. BOH food waste collection is now standard operating practice at the facilities.

In partnership with Charlotte-based ReCommunity Recycling, festive, well-designed recycling containers were strategically placed throughout the downtown corridor. Keeping with recycling best practices, each bin is paired with a trash container. ReCommunity operates the county-owned MRF - materials recovery facility for single-stream recycling.

Charlotte successes were highlighted at the 2012 Charlotte Ei Partner Tours hosted by Simon | HMSHost. Laurette and Jake attended the first day of presentations and tours of Concord Mills' impressive recycling programs. The IMPACT Blog article, Charlotte Ei Partner Tours, is a tours overview.

downtown recycling bin

In fall 2013 the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 4 funded a Scaling Up Composting in Charlotte, NC Grant to GreenBlue's Sustainable Packaging Coalition (SPC). To maximize its impact, the grant was extended for an additional year along with funding. Ei is a grant sub-grantee. The ZWA Blog article, Scaling up Composting in Charlotte, NC, details the grant goal, objectives and tasks along with listing partners | sub-grantees.

"Scaling Up" was used in the grant name as Charlotte has a solid food waste composting program compliments of Earth Farms, a state-permitted facility. The grant intends to serve as a catalyst to increase food waste collection for compost throughout the metro Charlotte area. The Ei FB album, Ei Partner Tours - Day 2, recounts an Earth Farms tour.

Earth Week 2014 marked the first official EPA Grant Team visit to the Queen City for three action-packed days. With a plethora of back-to-back meetings and tours scheduled, the team recruited participants for the EPA Grant program. The ZWA Blog article, Charlotte Focuses on Food Waste with EPA Support, is an overview of the monumental visit.

Knights Stadium

The Ei Team returned to Charlotte in July and overlapped the grant with Ei initiatives. From Ei's perspective, the trip was exploratory in nature to determine if the tremendous Ei | Charlotte | MCG synergies warranted investment in formal programs, partnerships and | or other initiatives. The Charlotte Knights hosted a meeting at their stadium to introduce Ei initiatives and the EPA Grant.

During the visit, SMAT - Sustainable Materials ACTION Team - was formed to support the Grant and other Ei work. The ZWA Blog article, Ei Charlotte Visit: Busy, Productive & Fun!, is a recap of the powerful visit.

Validating the strong Ei | MCG relationship, Laurette attended the November 2014 Annual Ei Partner Meeting in Atlanta. Laurette presented on the extensive synergies & potentials and learned about Ei initiatives beyond Charlotte and materials management. The IMPACT Blog article, Ei 2014: A Year of Evolution, gives an overview of the meeting along with the history of events that built the substantial foundation in-place.

The Grant | Ei Team converged on Charlotte the week of February 2 for a series of meetings and tours at the major sports facilities, the convention center and local schools. SPC senior manager Anne Bedarf was supported in meetings with SMAT members: Sarah Martell of Innovia Films, Rick Lombardo of NaturBag, Tim Goodman of NatureWorks, and Sarah Martinez of Eco-Products.

Laurette, Eric & Kim after the
City of Charlotte meeting

For the February 2015 Charlotte visit, Ei founder Holly Elmore and Kim Charick of the EPA arrived a day early for Water Use | Toxicity and other Ei-specific meetings. Rob Phocas, City of Charlotte energy & sustainability manager, was first on the meeting itinerary. Though focused on Airborne Kitchen Grease, a proactive approach to a costly cooking by-product, the meeting was a perfect opportunity to update Rob on the EPA Grant status.

JR Stewart of Filtrexx treated Ei to a lovely lunch at McCormick & Schmick's downtown location to educate on the Garden Soxx, perfect for community & school gardens. With the strong food waste collection for composting at CMS, the Garden Soxx may prove useful as an educational tool to directly connect food waste to compost to garden produce.

A lovely dinner at Rooster's downtown location hosted by Eric & Betsy Dyer, local Grease Lock Filter distributors, was a perfect segue into the EPA Grant meetings the following morning.

The Knights were first on the meeting itinerary as a follow-up to the July meeting and subsequent conference calls. After an overview session including General Manager Erik Hassy and Executive Chef Joseph Marx of Ovations, the stadiums foodservice operator, Stadium Director of Operations Mark McKinnon led the group on a BOH tour to better understand the physical parameters for recycling logistics. Grant partners Sandra Clinton of UNC Charlotte and Jim Lanier with Earth Farms joined the Knights meeting. As the food waste hauler | destination, Jim attended most of the meetings.

Knights meeting group photo

The loading dock included ample space for food waste collection and source-separation of high value recyclable material. It was an inspiring visit and rewarding to witness the zero waste "team spirit" evident between stadium facilities and foodservice operations. With plenty of action points documented, the group said farewell to new friends.

Next on the day's itinerary was an introductory meeting with the CCC. As mentioned above, the CCC is a veteran to BOH food waste collection for composting and eager to take their program to next dimensions. CCC Food Services Operations Manager Steve Gorham hosted the meeting with CCC Assistant Director of Facility Services Roger Rochelle and Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority (CRVA) Procurement Manager Jeff Doerr attending.

CCC meeting

A primary discussion point was the role legal provisions play in zero waste success, whether with foodservice subcontractors or waste | recycling haulers. The ZWA Blog article, Contract provisions require team work necessary for zero waste success, documents the important role contract provisions play in creating an effective stage for food waste collection and source-separated material recycling.

Continuing with the common theme of saying farewell to new friends, the group collected business cards with promises of follow-up within an array of action points and information requested.

The final meeting of the day was at the Metrolina Regional Scholars Academy, a NC charter school for the highly gifted scholar. Without a formal lunch program, the academy has unique challenges | opportunities not experienced by CMS-operated schools. With strong parental involvement, the school may excel in amazing recycling efforts with parent | student consciousness shifts.

Common within Ei travels, dinners serve as a relaxed venue to recap the powerful activities along with strategies on how to maximize potentials. The King's Kitchen was the perfect venue for dinner: 100% of proceeds are donated to the homeless and competent staff are those often considered "unemployable."

The final day began with a productive meeting and tour of the Charlotte Hornets Arena hosted by Andrew Chisholm, manager of arena & event services. With Mike Wann, Levy Restaurants (Levy) assistant director of operations,and Bill Becker, CRVA arena director of support services, in attendance, the necessary trilogy - stadium management, facilities management and foodservice operations - were present at the meeting.

After introductions and grant overview, the group toured the stadium front and BOH operations. It was exciting to witness the potential for refining the arena's current recycling practices, especially food waste collection for compost. Levy is the foodservice operator for Ei Supporter Georgia World Congress Center Authority, a founding Zero Waste Zones participant. A Levy manager recently transferred from the Georgia Dome to the arena; the Dome is the SFCI Event Venue Pilot with solid food waste donation and collection for compost practices.

Added bonus: a standard size baler is located near the waste | recycling loading dock area. It is nice to know equipment is in-place to source-separate cardboard, aluminum and other valuable material.

Kim w/ compost garden sign

During lunch, the team visited the Chantilly Montessori School as an example of the CMS impressive food waste collection for compost program. It was rewarding to witness the four and five year old children learn to sort their food and pour liquid from the beverage carton prior to recycling.The committed staff is integral to the school's success.

In addition, the school has a compost area complete with a tumbler, rain barrel collection, and raised bed gardens. Per the wooden sign, the NO to grass & weeds shows the school is careful to prevent weed seeds & pesticides | herbicides from contaminating the compost. The YES includes leaves, fruits & vegetables. 

The final EPA Grant Team meeting was with the Carolina Panthers hosted by Scott Paul, director of stadium operations, and attended by Delaware North Executive Chef John Morey and Operations Manager Jeff Kelly. In addition to an established BOH food waste collection program, the Panthers have solid recycling practices where cardboard is baled on-site. Over the past season, the Panthers recycled a total of 76.63 tons of materials, including 25.56 tons of source-separated aluminum. The food waste program diverted an additional 6.65 tons of material from the landfill. IMPRESSIVE!

Panther game-day tailgate recycling
photo courtesy of Jake

Jake oversees the Panther tailgate recycling program, a collaboration of many organizations | individuals: volunteers, City of Charlotte Solid Waste for game day collection, the Parking Lot Consortium for engaging the lot attendants, City Center Partners for their stewardship and media outreach, Bojangles sponsorship of bags & award gift cards, and ESPN 730 for sponsorship and support. The 2012 ZWA Blog article, Winning Panthers Recycling Season, recaps the collaboration necessary for a successful tailgate recycling program.

The 2014 | 2015 season broke records with 45.35 tons recycled at the home games, a 23% increase over last season's 36.76 tons recycled. Ditto on IMPRESSIVE!

At the Panthers' meeting, the focus was on Recycling Refinement, moving beyond landfill diversion, and how the Grant Team and SMAT may assist the stadium edge closer to zero waste. Front-of-the-house food waste collection, with first steps in the suites, was the meeting focal point. An action item is scheduling a call with industry leaders experienced in bringing a stadium to zero waste.

downtown Charlotte statue

SUCCESS: the Knights, Hornets, Panthers and the CCC gave a thumbs up on joining the grant program.  Anne will follow-up over the next weeks to complete the paperwork and discuss next steps. For a list of current Grant participants and to join the program, visit the SPC Scaling Up Composting in Charlotte website page.

The Ei Team intends to return to Charlotte midsummer for follow-up meetings on the city-wide Source-Separated Materials Recycling Template (S-SMRT). Atlanta serves as the pilot city and Charlotte is a potential template replication pilot city. The ZWA Blog article, Total Materials Management Approach, gives an update on the pilot and explains the approach.

As the S-SRMT took a side seat in the February meetings, the Grant will take the side seat in the summer meetings. The S-SRMT is an avenue for Ei to continue support to Grant participants beyond its expiration date.

The Ei FB album, Charlotte Visit: EPA Grant & Beyond, is a pictorial recap of the excellent visit.

After a team wrap-up, the group dispersed excited to segue the powerful discussions into action. Laurette summarized the scenario with perfection: Charlotte is a Land of Opportunities!

Charlotte Focuses on Food Waste with EPA Grant Support

During Earth Week 2014 Charlotte received a boost to their strong food waste reduction focus when a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region IV Grant Team visited the grand city for three action-packed days. With a plethora of back-to-back meetings and tours scheduled, the team recruited participants for the EPA Grant program.

Kim Charick & Anne Bedarf
on a Charlotte tree-line sidewalk

In late 2013 the EPA Region IV issued a "Scaling Up Composting in Charlotte, NC" Grant to the Sustainable Packaging Coalition (SPC), University of North Carolina Charlotte, IDEAS Center, Earth Farms Organics and Elemental Impact are sub-grantees under the SPC umbrella. In addition, the NC Division of Environmental Assistance, Mecklenburg County and Waste Reduction (a private company that works closely with the Mecklenburg County food waste group) are active team members.

For an overview of the EPA Grant goal, objectives and tasks, visit the ZWA Blog article, Scaling Up Composting in Charlotte, NC. The EPA Grant includes a program to assist Charlotte foodservice operators starting food waste collection for compost programs via start-up cost funding along with training and support.

Ei founder Holly Elmore, SPC project manager Anne Bedarf and EPA environmental scientist Kim Charick converged on Charlotte to join the local Grant Team members for the tours and meetings series. Thanks to Meckenburg County Government (MCG) environmental manager Laurette Hall, the first day was filled with tours of county facilities to experience the material and food waste recycling practices in-place.

The Grant Team Ladies

First on the agenda was a tour of the Metrolina Recycling Center operated by Re-Community Recycling. Consistent with Re-Community's educational commitment, the MRF - materials recovery facility - reception area is filled with empowering recycling displays geared towards children. In addition, the MRF has an auditorium for more formal community programs.

The MRF tour was fun and impressive! Whenever touring MRFs, especially well-run ones, it is a strong reminder that contaminants are trash, whether put in a recycling or garbage bin. Within Ei's Recycling Integrity - maintaining maximum material value with minimal energy expended - contamination is defined as an expensive trip to the landfill. 

After the MRF tour, the team visited The Metro School, where cognitively disabled students ranging in age from 3 to 22 receive high quality instruction in academics based on grade appropriate NC EXTEND Content Standards. The Metro School served as Mecklenburg County's recycling and food waste pilot school with stellar success.

Jan Burlee shows Anne & Kim
the simple, effective collection system

The key ingredients for success in-place at The Metro School are: 1> staff support & buy-in, 2> captivated audience and 3> a simple system with clear signage. MCG senior environmental specialist Jan Burlee found practical collection buckets with mesh lined inserts at a local home improvement store. As many students are individually fed in classrooms, the compostable bag company provides small aerated totes for use by the staff at meal time. Grant Team member Earth Farms collects the clean food waste for composting at their state-permitted facility.

Students learn to plant and grow their own food at the school's greenhouse and garden. Complete with a compost pile for woody waste and garden scraps, the students experience first-hand nature's perfect mechanism for converting waste into nutrition for the soil and plants.

The delicious lunch at Tupelo Honey Cafe, New South Flavors | Scratch-Made Fun, was the perfect opportunity to regroup and prepare for the afternoon meeting with the MCG jail. An added benefit is Tupleo Honey Cafe food waste is collected by Earth Farms for compost.

The Metro School Greenhouse  

At the meeting, Captain Michael Greer and Sargent John Maness educated the Grant Team on the jail foodservice operations and expressed strong interest in joining the grant composting program. First, the Grant Team must satisfy the odor and rodent concerns. With many food waste composting systems in-place throughout Charlotte, the team will arrange a site visit for the jail staff to alleviate current concerns.

Lani Wenman, Keter Environmental Services regional operations manager, joined the team for dinner at Rooster's Wood-Fired Kitchen and Wine Bar. Dinner served as a lovely introduction to Lani, who attended the second day meetings and tours. With the final trip meeting at Carolina Place, a Keter waste & recycling managed mall in Mecklenburg County, the second day tours were an excellent opportunity to educate Lani on the EPA Grant. Ei Partner Keter is a full-service environmental management company specializing in the commercial waste and recycling industry.

For the second day initial tour, Concord Mills (CM) - the Sustainable Food Court Initiative Shopping Center Pilot - was a great place to witness success through collaborative effort. CM general manager Ray Soporowski welcomed the Grant Team along with Lani and gave an overview of SFCI Pilot history and success.

The SFCI food court bin provided
by Ei Partner CleanRiver

Ei Partner HMSHost, CM food court concessionaire, is committed to back-of-the-house food waste collection for compost along with donating wasted food donation. HMSHost food & beverage manager Drew Drayton educated the team on the food waste collection practices in-place. Impressive, the food waste bin was contaminant and unpleasant odor-free!

In addition, CM was a pioneer in developing a plastic film recycling program for malls; the group was treated to a tour of systems in-place. The ZWA Blog article, ACTION: Theme for SFCI Shopping Mall Pilot, gives an overview of the program development and launch. 

CM success is grounded in strong collaborative effort with mall management, HMSHost general manager Brian Shetron and his staff, and the third party contractors, many Ei Partners, working in unison towards common goals. The ZWA Blog article, Concord Mills: The Power of "WE" in ACTION, chronicles the foundation building that propelled the programs into action.

During the mall tour, Ray committed to explore a front-of-the-house food waste collection pilot in the mall food court. The goal is to schedule a summer Charlotte visit to discuss logistics and create an implementation plan for early 2015, after the holiday shopping frenzy. 

Ray with his Orwak baler,
the workhorse of the plastic film
recycling program

Indicative of their pioneer spirit, the CM team hosted the 2013 Charlotte Ei Partner Tours for two days filled with presentations | tours infiltrated with education, camaraderie and fun! Ray and Brian chronicled their pioneering journey to solid, effective food waste collection for compost, wasted food donation and plastic film recycling programs.

Ray and Brian are happy to share their experiences with potential Grant Program Participants to relieve their rodent, odor and other concerns. New participants often request validation from those experienced with food waste collection practices.

The IMPACT Blog article, Charlotte Ei Partner Tours, is an overview of meetings | presentations while the ZWA Blog article, Bring the Possible Out of Impossible, chronicles the tours. Ei's strong MCB relationship was evident at the Ei Partner Tours, one of the reasons Ei is a grant sub-grantee.

Following the CM tour, the Grant Team along with Lani traveled to Dallas, NC to tour Earth Farms' composting facility. A tradition, Jim Lanier of Earth Farms treated the group to lunch at the North Star Seafood Restaurant prior to the tour. Lunch was a perfect venue for Jim to educate on his background, business model and genuine commitment to compost's vital role in soil rejuvenation. 

food waste @ Earth Farms
awaiting its mix with a carbon source

Earth Farms is a well-run composting facility that survived a 500 year flood last July when most of the expensive farm equipment and operations were destroyed. Resilient as soil, Earth Farms shows no evidence of the devastation less than 9 months ago. It takes tremendous tenacity, commitment and faith to retain focus and rebuild operations, rather than drown in defeat. The metro Charlotte area is fortunate Jim Lanier calls this fine area home.

The final dinner was reminiscent of the Charlotte Ei Partner Tours. Ei Supporter Betsy Dyer with Grease Lock Filters joined the Grant Team for a lovely dinner at AZN Asian Cuisine, the Ei Partner Tours finale dinner location. In addition, Sandra Clinton with UNC Charlotte met the group for dinner. The ladies-only dinner was fun and filled with potential for future work.

Breakfast with Sustain Charlotte executive director Shannon Binns was an excellent start to the third and final Charlotte Grant Team visit. It was an enthusiastic meeting culminating with Sustain Charlotte joining the Grant Team. Well-connected, Shannon intends to share his vast connections along with promoting Grant Program participants and successes.

Shannon Binns with Kim & Anne

After the breakfast meeting, MCG senior environmental specialist Nick Crawford joined the group for the SouthPark Mall tour hosted by Ron Rentschler, mall director of operations. After an overview of the Ei | SouthPark long-time relationship and prior tours, Ron showed the group the plastic film recycling program implemented last year in association with the American Chemistry Council. It was interesting to understand how two different malls developed plastic film recycling systems to complement their facility and operations.

Next was a back and front-of-the-house food court tour where Ron was excited to learn about the EPA Grant Program and support. Once SouthPark formally joins the Grant Program, the game plan is to begin with back-of-the-house food waste collection followed by the front-of-the-house.

After the SouthPark tours, the Grant Team met with the HMSHost Charlotte-Douglas International Airport folks about the EPA Food Recovery Challenge. Since the airport has an on-site in-vessel composting system, the Grant Program was not applicable. With their impressive food waste reduction and wasted food donation systems, HMSHost Charlotte Airport food and beverage manager Matt Wissman began the FRC application process during the meeting. The ZWA Blog article, EPA Food Recovery Challenge: Region IV launches FRC in hospitality sector, recaps the FRC.

Kim learning how the food donation
program works

Carolina Place was the final meeting in the three-day Charlotte visit. Lani facilitated a meeting with mall general manager Susan Barwick and operations manager Randy Davis. After introductions and the grant overview, the consensus was to move ahead with joining the EPA Grant Program. With minimal to no risk for the participant, the grant provides incentives and support to inaugurate food waste collection practices as standard operating practices.

Success was the theme for the EPA Grant Team Charlotte Visit! Each EPA Grant Program invitation extended was received with enthusiasm, either by acceptance or a request for more information on food waste collection practices. Pioneers like Ray Soporowski and Brian Shetron at Concord Mills, who are willing to open their back-of-the-house doors and share their experiences, are critical to program success. 

The Ei FB album, April 2014 EPA Grant Team Charlotte Visit, chronicles the powerful three days of tours and meetings. It was amazing to witness Charlotte's strong food waste reduction foundation along with the enthusiasm to catapult their composting status to new dimensions.

With the full spectrum of support from local, state and federal government, higher education, non-profits and private enterprise for food waste composting, Charlotte is a city staged for success!